Strip rapist killer Wayne Couzens of £4,000-a-year police pension, mayor urges
Killer cop Wayne Couzens should be stripped of his police pension which is estimated to be worth up to £4,000 a year, the Mayor of London has said.
The former Metropolitan Police officer was jailed and given a whole-life sentence for murdering Sarah Everard in 2021 while working for the force.
The 33-year-old marketing executive was kidnapped, raped and murdered in south London as she walked home after seeing a friend.
This weekend, Sadiq Khan has written to Cabinet ministers to make sure that Couzens will not receive his pension as "the public would rightly expect" following his "heinous crime".
Before joining the Met Police in 2018, Couzens was an officer at the Civil Nuclear Constabulary (CNC) for seven and a half years.
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Sarah Everard went missing while walking home from a friend's house in March 2021 (METROPOLITAN POLICE/AFP via Gett)His service makes him eligible to receive a pension worth about £4,000 a year when he turns 60, as well as a lump sum of up to £12,000.
Couzens could choose to start drawing on his pension at a reduced rate from 55.
Under existing laws, a police officer forfeits their pension if they are convicted of a criminal offence linked to their work or if the offence led to a "serious loss of confidence in the public service".
For most officers to be stripped of their pension, the Home Secretary needs to issue a "certificate of forfeiture".
Couzens did not work at Scotland Yard for long enough to qualify for a Met pension but his pot remained at the CNC, whose pension arrangements are overseen by the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA).
The London mayor first applied for Couzens to be stripped of his pension after he was sentenced in autumn last year.
But after learning that the CNC pension arrangements are looked after by the UKAEA, he has written again for Grant Shapps, the Energy Security Secretary, reports The Sunday Times.
Couzens is eligible for a police pension of up to £4,000 a year (Kent Messenger / SWNS)
Couzens was an officer at the Civil Nuclear Constabulary for seven and a half years before joining the Met (Collect Unknown)In a letter that was also sent to Home Secretary Suella Braverman, Mr Khan wrote: "I am sure that you shared my horror at the disturbing facts of the heinous crime committed by a serving police officer.
"While I understand the pension forfeiture arrangements are not straightforward, I seek your assurance that you will take all possible steps to ensure that Couzens is stripped of his pension. This is what the public would rightly expect."
Mr Shapps said: "I fully support the recommendation of the CNC that he be stripped of his pension so he does not benefit from his years serving, and I am seeking an urgent update on the matter from the pension administrator."
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Mr Khan has also called on Ms Braverman to strip serial rapist David Carrick of his pension - estimated to be worth up to £22,000 a year after two decades as a Met Police officer.
After Couzens was sentenced, Mr Khan called for urgent action to be taken to make women feel safe in the street as he said: "This must never happen again."
Sadiq Khan has urged ministers to strip Wayne Couzens of his police pension (PA)Couzens used Covid powers to falsely arrest Sarah who was walking home from a friend's house.
He handcuffed her, put her in the back of his rented car and drove 80 miles to Kent. He then raped her and strangled her with his police-issue belt.
At the Old Bailey he stood shaking, head bowed, as he was told he will never be released from jail.
Lord Justice Fulford said Couzens "used his position as a police officer" to kidnap Sarah, 33, in Clapham, South London.
He added: "The police have powers of coercion and control. In this country it is expected the police will act in the public interest.
"You have eroded the confidence the public are entitled to have in the police forces of England and Wales."
Sarah's parents held hands as the judge told prison guards: "Take him down."
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